Capital Region jobless rate at 7.1 percent for July

The Capital Region’s unemployment rate remained at a two-decade high last month, with 7.1 percent of the workforce idled. That’s up from 5.0 percent in July 2008, according to data from the state Labor Department. It’s an improvement from June, which was revised downward to 7.3 percent from 7.4 percent originally, although it doesn’t take into account seasonal variations.

The number of people employed in the Capital Region, 430,400, is the fewest since July 2000, while the number unemployed, 32,900, is the highest in two decades.